New partnership for renewable energy forecasting

The Met Office, the European Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), Aarhus University in Denmark and Envision Energy have teamed up for a new project.

The partners aim to improve how they forecast the amount of renewable energy that will be generated by wind turbines, solar panels and other equipment.

Improving forecasts will help the grid to better manage the variability in the amount of electricity generated by renewable energy projects.

Ultimately, the project aims to lower the levelised cost of wind and solar energy.

‘Ensemble forecasting’

Erik Andersson, Deputy Director of Forecasts of the ECMWF, said: “By combining the technology, scientific knowledge and data generating of the partners in this collaboration, we can improve our ability to support renewable energy forecasting.

“In the long run, this will help increase the energy industry’s ability to utilise renewable energy sources.

“This research will demonstrate the value of ensemble forecasting and further enhance the use of ECMWF weather forecasts in the renewable energies sector with a positive impact on utilities, grid operators, and most importantly energy consumers.”